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Max Verstappen still speaks glowingly of Christian Horner with the pair maintaining a great relationship even after the Briton’s sacking as the Red Bull Formula 1 team boss.
Horner surprisingly departed the Austrian outfit in July after starting the role when Red Bull entered F1 in 2005, in which it then became one of the most successful teams ever.
Under Horner’s leadership Red Bull claimed 14 world titles (eight drivers’ and six constructors’) and six of those were won with Verstappen, who joined from junior squad Toro Rosso in 2016 aged just 18.
But in the final 12-18 months of Horner’s reign the atmosphere at Red Bull had become toxic: he was cleared of inappropriate behaviour allegations towards a female employee, there was a management power struggle following the death of founder Dietrich Mateschitz and the team had slipped to fourth in the F1 pecking order.
It led to Red Bull management replacing Horner with Laurent Mekies from the sister team, sparking significant improvement as Verstappen launched a shock title bid and ultimately finished runner-up to Lando Norris.
“Things weren’t going very well for the whole team,” Verstappen told Viaplay. “In terms of results, there was a bit of unrest in the team and when things haven’t been going well for a long time…in the end, the shareholders also wanted change because they weren’t happy with how things were going either.
“Ultimately, it’s always difficult. You’ve built up a bond with Christian and achieved so much – especially in 2021, those moments too. You’ll never forget that. Christian really went through fire for me. Those kinds of things are always difficult when you talk to each other on the phone.”
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Laurent Mekies, Red Bull Racing Team Principal
Photo by: Zak Mauger / LAT Images via Getty Images
So therefore when asked to clarify if he still keeps in contact with Horner, the four-time world champion replied: “Every week, every race. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday and usually via text message. But also on holiday, for example. Every week.
“Of course he knows everyone in the team, but it’s more about ‘I wish you good luck’ and ‘I believe in you’ – biggest fan.
“What we’ve all been through. But also, ‘you know you can do it’. You know, all that kind of stuff and outside of that, of course, you talk about things other than racing too. Yes, every week. Every race weekend. Even after his contact.”
But even though Verstappen still speaks positively of his former boss, he indicated that the change has clearly been the correct one even if the Dutchman didn’t say it directly.
“The team is doing well,” said the 71-time grand prix winner. “We have a lot of confidence. You see people smiling, it’s a nice environment, everyone gets along well and we missed that at one point. The Red Bull style was a bit lost or gone.”
When the team spirit was then brought up, Verstappen simply said: “Yes, and that has definitely returned.”
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